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Chef Michael Lapi’s Toothsome and Tender Potato Gnocchi

For many, winter
connotes cozy fires and picturesque, snow-covered hills. For Chef Instructor
Michael Lapi, winter’s arrival and transition into spring is all about
potatoes.

One of Chef Lapi’s go-to
recipes for Russets is potato gnocchi. Growers produce potatoes in abundance
each winter, and while some prefer Yukon Golds, Chef Lapi makes one thing
clear: with a little butter and garlic, nothing beats homemade potato
dumplings.

“Potato Gnocchi are one
of my all-time favorites,” says Chef Lapi. “They can really be a very warm,
comforting winter dish – something you can practice [making] on a Sunday
afternoon and have meals for the week to come.”

Classically prepared from potatoes, eggs, flour, and salt, and often finished with grated cheese, Chef Lapi says one of the beauties of potato gnocchi is the traceability of its ingredients. Area producers offer eggs, butter, and plenty of cheeses through “Schoharie Fresh” Online Farmers’ Market, as well as at the Carriage House Café and General Store.

Before cooking, Chef
Lapi suggests carefully examining your potatoes. “Getting potato gnocchi right
is making sure the potatoes are dry,” he says. Once you have your dough, you
can shape homemade dumplings with a fork or paddle, though hand-rolling is Chef
Lapi’s preferred method. After cooking the dumplings in salted water, sauté the
pasta in garlic and butter.

Use Chef Lapi’s two “Ts”
of gnocchi-making to gauge the success of the dumplings. “Toothsome, yet
tender,” he says along with local ingredients, are key. “Fresh, local potatoes
that are full of flavor, local cheese, and eggs – [those make] this recipe the
best you can possibly make it.”